Freak hurricane strikes the country, three killed with many wounded

Three people were killed, and many others were seriously wounded by strong hurricane winds yesterday, accompanied by gale force winds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour. One man was killed when he drove into a tree which had been blown over and was blocking the road in northwestern part of the country. Another man was killed when his Fiat 126P was blown under the wheels of a truck. The hurricane has caused substantial financial losses and has knocked down many high power lines, causing blackouts in rural areas. Firemen received more than 1,000 calls yesterday mostly from the Dolnoslaskie and Wielkopolskie voivodships. PKP stopped many of their trains and others were delayed by the power shortages. "We ask everyone to secure their houses and flats, check their doors and windows and remove all unnecessary objects from their balconies," said Katarzyna Boguszewska from the State Firefighters Headquarters. Specialists from the Meteorology Institute in Warsaw predicted the ferocious winds. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A6) M.M.